It is known that cold, wet weather can be dangerous to an over-heated horse following hard work or a demanding performance. Covering the large muscles of the hind quarters with a cover prevents chilling and allows the heavy muscles to cool out slowly, helping to prevent muscle cramps and spasms.
Current, commercially available horse covers are not intended for use as a hind quarter cover while riding. These horse covers are designed for a horse which is inactive and not for short or long distance riding. These covers are designed primarily to provide warmth and protection from cold weather or as a saddle blanket and are not intended to protect the horse's hind quarters.
Available horse covers which are intended to provide hind quarters protection during cold weather riding do not provide adequate protection or flexibility. One currently available horse blanket attaches by D-rings to the back of the saddle. Because few saddles are fitted with D-rings this requires costly retrofitting of the saddle. This design is also prone to lifting and shifting, especially when the horse is ridden at faster gaits. An alternative to this design attaches the blanket to the saddle girth. As with the previous blanket, it is prone to movement and is limited to the size of horse on which it can be used. Both of these designs leave a gap between the saddle and blanket which exposes the horse to the elements, and the shifting and lifting of the blanket while the animal is moving tends to irritate the horse.
A third form of commercially available hindquarters covers is a long contoured piece of material which lays across the back of the animal over which the saddle is placed. This design is prone to bunching under the saddle and poor overall fit. The shifting and bunching of these various horse covers can lead to stress points and injury to the animal.
U.S. Pat. No. 688,203 discloses a harness shield attachment which is designed to be adjusted over the haunch of an animal and underneath the tail to hold a guard in place by buttons or other fastening devices on the harness and a securing attachment for the tail. The device is designed primarily to protect the harness from becoming fouled. The shield attachment would not provide weather protection for the horse nor could it be conveniently rolled up or folded away.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,940 discloses a horse cover a roll up quarter sheet of a single large sheet. '940 is designed to provide hind quarter protection during long distance riding in foul weather, and comprises a pair of Velco straps for holding the quarter sheet to the saddle in a rolled up position and a tail strap for keeping the sheet in place. The '940 is a single piece which is prone to bunching under the saddle which can lead to injury of the animal.
The present invention represents an improvement in previous horse covers in that it offers greater flexibility, convenience, comfort and protection. The two piece design overcomes the disadvantages inherent in prior horse covers.